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In what will end up being for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Tim Sylvia looks to re acquire the very title that was stripped away from him against ever the ever improving and dangerous Andrei Arlovski. Both are stand up fighters and love to bang and in what will truly be a war, Arlovski will not only attempt to win the UFC heavyweight championship, but also become the first man to defeat Sylvia in MMA competition.
Sylvia returns to competition for the first time since his drug suspension stripped him of the UFC heavyweight title some time ago and has vowed that the performance enhancing drugs he took were a mistake and will never happen again. He is training extensively with Team Miletich, sparring and working on his ground game with fellow Miletich members Jeremy Horn and the up and coming Justin Eilers. Sylvia brings big punching power, and unbelievable size and strength, surely a devastating combination. He relies on his stand up game, utilizing his reach and size advantage to dissect and tear apart his opponents with a long stiff jab attack from outside the reach of his opponents. No one has been able to test his ground game, and that is one question mark that looms over his head, he does train groundwork with Horn and the rest of Team Miletich, so when tested he should be able to perform. Arlovski on the other hand has already proven to be adept on the ground.
Arlovski was originally from Minsk, Belarus, but now fights out of Chicago Illinois and is a sambo expert with devastating punching power he has improved his stand-up tremendously, slugging it out with strikers Pedro Rizzo and Ian Freeman, and KOing fellow Belarusian Vladimir Matyushensko. Arlovski has already been in the octagon on five different occasions, losing by KO to both Rizzo and former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez, but is on a winning streak that has earned him his championship opportunity.
I believe this fight has the potential to be fight of the night. Both are excellent strikers and love to slug it out and KO their opponents. Both have only fought one similar opponent in Rodriguez, with Sylvia winning by KO and Arlovski losing by TKO. Arlovski does seem to have some trouble with bigger fighters and Sylvia will be the biggest fighter he will have to faced to date. I believe Sylvia will come in with the game plan of keeping his hands high and look for his openings. Rizzo found his opening when he fought Arlovski and capitalized by hitting him with a right hand that not only knocked him out, but broke his nose in the process. Sylvia will be looking to expose the chin of Arlovski, while utilizing his reach and size advantage to keep from going to the ground. Arlovski, on the other hand, might try to stand with Sylvia and trade bombs. Cabbage did expose some holes in Sylvias defense when they fought and proved that Sylvia can be hit. I believe that the real difference will be if Arlovski will be able to take down Sylvia if he gets into trouble in the standup. Take him down, and Arlovski will put Sylvia in a position that no other fighter has been able to achieve and possibly work his way into a ground and pound stoppage or a submission. If unsuccessful, then he will surely be on the losing end of this fight. When its all said and done, I think Sylvia will have something to prove coming off his suspension and will come out determined. Both fighters will have their moments, but Sylvia will eventually land his devastating right hand and KO Arlovski late into round 3.
Wesley Correira Vs Mike Kyle
In a battle of heavyweight contenders, Hawaiian Wesley Cabbage Correira takes on AKAs Mike Kyle in what is sure to be a slugfest as both fighters are talented strikers, with knockout power. Cabbage has been demolishing his opposition lately and looks to add Kyle to his win list and Kyle, on the other hand, looks to prove that he belongs in the UFC.
Cabbage comes into this UFC on a solid winning streak with his last loss at UFC 39 against the then upstart, former heavyweight champion, Tim Sylvia. Cabbage has reeled off six straight victories against difficult opponents, ranging from UFC veteran Tank Abbott to rising young talents such as the hard hitting Joseph Diesel Riggs and Miletich fighting systems standout Justin Eilers. He has improved each time he has fought, displaying not only a rock solid chin, but also Muay Thai skills that were put on display in his battle against Abbott. Cabbage is a no nonsense fighter, and as such his game plan is never changes, and he will be gunning for the KO. He trains with newly crowned UFC welterweight champion BJ Penn and is sure to have a decent ground game, even though he hasnt displayed those talents as of yet. Cabbage has had some problems with fighters that were more mobile with good hand speed in the past, so that may play a factor in this fight. He has however, vowed to dedicate more time to training, and hopefully at UFC 47 he can build upon past performances as he has so far in his young career.
Mike Kyle is making his debut in the UFC octagon, but he is a seasoned veteran of mixed martial arts. He is currently the WEC heavyweight champion and has a very solid record with only two defeats to his name, both of which he was winning until he got knocked out. Kyle has displayed good hand speed, a very solid ground and pound game, and KO power from both hands with all of his victories coming via KO, TKO, or submission from strikes. None of his fights have gone the distance as of yet, which makes one wonder about his overall stamina. He hasnt been truly tested since his two losses to Dan Bobish and Paul Buentello, facing off against mainly B level fighters in smaller shows. He has said that he has worked on his cardio for this match-up with Cabbage, so he may be planning to take this fight the distance.
Kyle will have his hands full with Cabbage, as Renzo Gracie standout Alvarez proved, it is not easy to take Cabbage down. Cabbage knows his key to winning this fight is to keep it standing, where he has proven that he can and will slug it out with the best of fighters. Kyles only chance to win this fight will be to take Cabbage down early and work the ground and pound. If he tries to stand and trade, he will get knocked out. Kyle needs to take Cabbage to the ground, stand with him and be prepared to meet the sandman, Cabbage will be able to impose his will, eat Kyles best punches, smile and come back for more. Cabbage by vicious KO in round 2.
Hermes Franca vs. Yves Edwards
This is an exciting evenly matched up fight of contrasting styles, and once again, we are bitten by the grappler vs. kick-boxer bug. As we have seen on numerous occasions this fight will again be won by the fighter who is able to keep the fight in their realm of expertise for long enough to capitalize. Yves is an impressive striker with a good sprawl and an ever improving ground assault, an element of his game we saw at UFC 43 against wrestler Eddie Ruiz who had to work hard to escape a triangle choke attempt while Edwards was on his back, a rarity to say the least when stand up fighters are involved. Although his sprawl has improved he has been taken down and controlled by good wrestlers in the past, most recently Tesuya Kawajiri was able to take him down and a combination of sound ground defense and an unwillingness to open up resulted in Edwards only recent loss in a rather dry inactive fight that was his first in approximately 2 years.
Francas ground assault is an active one and he will not be content to hold Edwards down, he will look for the finish, from start to finish and stay active more so as the fight goes on. Speaking of start to finish, Franca is a notoriously slow starter, he seems content to measure his opponent for much of the early goings. Franca will want to be active from bell to bell as his early inactivity contributed to his controversial decision loss to Josh Thomson which went to the decision. Francas takedowns will need to be on task in order to take Edwards down and he will probably want to start a little stronger then he has in the past as losing the first round of this fight could be ring the death knell for Franca who usually comes on stronger as the fight goes on. He cant afford to get behind the eight ball against Edwards who also wont slow down as the fight goes on. As such Franca has an uncanny ability to find openings and close the deal, and I feel that Franca will have revenge on his mind and find his mark late in the fight after a somewhat slow start and go on to submit Edwards, possibly in the third round, setting up an anticipated rematch against Josh Thomson for the UFC 155 pound title. Edwards will be game from front to back, but will come up just a little short on this night, and come back to haunt Franca at a later date.
Tiki Ghosen Vs Chris Lytle
Khalil Ghosen better known as Tiki is making his 4th appearance in the big show and some are wondering what he did to get here in the first place. The truth is, while he hasnt fared well in the UFC he has done more then some of the others who have entered the UFC in recent events. In fact all three losses on his overall record have all come in the Ultimate Fighting Championships and he will be looking to right that ship and take his UFC record to 1-3. To be fair his three UFC have all been very tough competition, after two straight losses in the UFC to Welterweight tyrant Sean Sherk and now AKA trainer Crazy Bob Cook, he went off to win three straight fights before being brought back to face young gun Robbie Lawler, eventually losing by KO in his third try in the big show. All three of his losses came at the hands of fighters that have a combined record of 33-2-1, there is no shame in losing to top competition. Two wins later, one against tough competitor Ronald Jhun, he is back in the UFC to face Chris Lytle, who at 13-10-5, on paper has a lower winning percentage then Tiki who is 7-3.
Both competitors have recently faced and lost to the Ruthless one Robbie Lawler. But Lytle is coming an impressive victory over a man that defeated Robbie Lawler, Pete Spratt. Both these fighters have the tendency, and ability, to step into the middle and bang, more then likely that is exactly what the UFC is betting on it. I have no problem with a fight like this happening if no other reason, then to entertain the crowd. Ghosen is also a local Californian and has a good following in the area so he should be able to sell his fair share of tickets. In terms of stand up proficiency, Lytle is a good boxer and should have the better hands, but Tiki is has more well rounded stand up game mixing in kicks into his steady kickboxing arsenal. Lytle has more experience in the ring having fought in more then double the amount of fights that Ghosen has, but I think that this fight should be a well matched and entertaining balanced contest that starts on the feet and ends with only one fighter hitting the mat. Both will likely be looking to stand and trade and be the last one standing. When the dust clears after three rounds, that is if it lasts that long,. I feel that Lytle will have the hands to keep Tiki at bay and although he will probably eat a leg kick or two on his way, should have enough to win an entertaining three round unanimous decision.

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TEA News Releases Online
Sept. 9, 2010
AUSTIN – Twenty-five Texas schools were today named 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools award winners by the U.S. Department of Education. The award honors schools that achieved academic excellence or made significant progress in closing the achievement gap.
Since its creation in 1982 by then Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell, this prestigious program has honored more than 6,300 of America's most successful schools, including more than 500 Texas schools. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools. The schools are selected based on one of two criteria:
The winning Texas schools were recommended by an intra–agency committee at the Texas Education Agency that examined student achievement statistics for the more than 8,000 public school and charter campuses in the state. The schools selected have demonstrated success in closing the achievement gap and each school has an economically disadvantaged population of 40 percent or greater. Schools that receive the award serve as models of best practices for schools across the state.
After being identified by the state, the schools competed in a rigorous application process through the U.S. Department of Education.
Schools that receive the prestigious award will be recognized at the Blue Ribbon Schools conference in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 15-16 where each recipient will receive a plaque and a flag signifying their status as a Blue Ribbon School.
The schools recognized for Dramatic Improvement are:
Beaumont ISD – Dr. Carrol Thomas, superintendent
Ogden Elementary – Wayne Wells, principal
Bloomington ISD* – Bradley S. Williams, superintendent
Bloomington Elementary – Israel Salinas, principal
Corpus Christi ISD – D. Scott Elliff, superintendent
Marvin Baker Middle – Darla Reid, principal
Houston ISD – Dr. Terry B. Grier, superintendent
Albert Sidney Johnston Middle – Dave Wheat, principal
Hurst–Euless–Bedford ISD – Dr. Gene Buinger, superintendent
Central Junior High – Jonathan James, principal
Hurst Junior High – Lesli Guajardo, principal
Jacksonville ISD* – Dr. Joe Wardell, superintendent
Fred Douglass Elementary – Amber Penn, principal
Richardson ISD – Dr. Kay E. Waggoner, superintendent
Lake Highlands Junior High – Veronica Escalante, principal
Scurry–Rosser ISD* – Chris Couch, superintendent
Scurry-Rosser Middle – J.R. Proctor, principal
The schools recognized for high performance are:
Alief ISD* – Dr. Louis B. Stoerner, superintendent
Alief Kerr High – Greg Freeman, principal
Dallas ISD – Dr. Michael Hinojosa, superintendent
H.S. Thompson Learning Center – Kamalia Cotton, principal
James B. Bonham Elementary – Sandra Fernandez, principal
Glasscock County ISD* – Steve Long, superintendent
Garden City High – Ken Hoskins, principal
J.P. Cornelius Elementary – Karen Jackson, principal
James Burrus Elementary – Jesse Woods, Jr., principal
Oak Forest Elementary – Scott Pollack, principal
Briarmeadow School – Peter Heinze, principal
West Side Elementary – Sandi Jones, principal
La Vega ISD* – Dr. Sharon M. Shields, superintendent
La Vega Elementary – Shaunte Stewart, principal
Lone Oak ISD* – Eddie White, superintendent
Lone Oak Elementary – Judy Steadham, principal
Mason ISD* – Pam Kruse, superintendent
Mason High – Chris Habecker, principal
Dover Elementary – Brona Comeaux–Hudson, principal
South Texas ISD – Dr. Marla M. Guerra, superintendent
South Texas High School for Health Professions – Barbara Heater, principal
The Varnett School* – M. Annette Cluff, superintendent
The Varnett School – East Campus in Houston– Twilet Alexander,
United ISD* – Roberto J. Santos, superintendent
Trautmann Elementary – Cynthia Rodriguez, principal
* This is the first Blue Ribbon School nomination for the district.
Page last modified on 9/9/2010 09:32:56 AM.
Copyright Texas Education Agency (TEA) 2007-2012


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Are the new topics featured at your meeting drawing crowds? Which sessions are attracting the clinicians versus the researchers? Are most delegates walking out in the middle of the keynote address? How's the traffic on the trade show floor? Imagine tracking — in real-time — attendee behavior so you can respond to situations on site and better prepare for future events. That is the potential of RFID technology for meetings and trade shows — and the future is now.
The 2005 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions convention in Dallas was the first medical show to use RFID (radio-frequency identification) to track attendee behavior. "We're using the information from the RFID name badges to see if our attendees are really going to the courses we think they're going to," says Debbie Draper, AHA director of national hotel contracts and meeting management. "In turn, that will help determine what kinds of programs to offer in the future."
The RFID and SmartEvent technology used at the convention were powered by a collaboration between BDMetrics, Baltimore, which provided the analytical engine, and ExpoExchange, a division of Conferon Global Services, Frederick, Md. "RFID portals at the entrance to the 425 education events allowed the association to capture some 170,000 tag reads and provided a host of information on exactly who is attending which events," adds Bob Lucke, executive vice president, business development, for Conferon Global Services. The convention drew more than 26,000 delegates.
AHA did not connect the badges to CME credits. "We are strictly on an honor system with that and don't intend to change that process," says Draper, noting that AHA also currently uses another ExpoExchange system for lead retrieval on the trade show floor and isn't currently planning to change that either.
Old Technology, New Uses
So what exactly is this revolutionary new technology? First off, it's not all that new: Precursors to RFID were used to identify airplanes in World War II. In the past decade, RFID technology has been adapted for use in a range of everyday applications-from swipe cards for entry to office buildings to electronic tags on a car's windshield that allow drivers to roll through the toll lane without stopping. More recently, it's made headlines with Wal-Mart's controversial decision to use RFID to track inventory and the U.S. government's plan to embed passports with the chips.
All this fuss is about a chip that's typically so small you wouldn't even see it if you weren't looking for it. In a convention name badge, for example, from a distance one wouldn't notice the difference between a regular name badge and one embedded with an RFID chip, or tag; up close the small bump is the only visible sign of the chip. The tag is encoded with a unique identification number that corresponds to information about the attendee, gathered through the registration process and/or from association databases.
The information, encrypted for privacy, is transmitted via radio waves to strategically placed antennas, or readers, which provide the power for the tag to send its information. Once it's transferred, software is used to decode the ID number to translate the attached information. Depending on the application, readers can be set to capture information from as close as a few inches to as far away as 15 feet.
The information connected to the ID number in the chip can be customized and might be set to contain such fields as name, title, address and other contact information, along with some demographics information, such as years in the profession, geographic location, specialty, and so on.
If the badges are being used on the trade show floor, the data contained would be relevant to buyers and sellers at that particular trade show. At a convention for meeting planners, for example, it might include the number and size of meetings organized annually, whether or not a trade show is involved, and if so, statistics on its size, plus information on whether the attendee is the final decision-maker.
Aggregating Data
The information contained, and the kinds of data and reports supplied, depend on a given association's particular information needs. For example, Laser Registration, Washington, D.C., a leading provider of RFID-enabled name badges, has worked with the Chicago-based Professional Convention Management Association to provide the badges and technology for its past two annual conventions.
"We're using RFID as one of our experiments to showcase new and evolving technology that members might find useful," says Deborah Sexton, PCMA president and CEO. PCMA used the badges first in 2005. "We only used the badge to monitor a couple of sessions and the general session on one day," adds Robert Cowan, PCMA CFO, who, along with the meetings department, spearheaded the use of the badges. "But for this year's annual meeting in Philadelphia, we used RFID for a lot more. In terms of tracking attendees, we monitored people entering and leaving the general sessions on all three days and specific breakout rooms throughout the convention."
Cowan notes that even within one convention, the association can choose to receive different types of information, depending on its purpose. "In a general session, we didn't have any reason to know the specific names of people who attended, just the numbers. We will use the information to see what kinds of members attended the general session and if that mix changed during the course of the session, as well as demographic information we can use for future planning — the ratio of suppliers to planners, geographic concentrations, what chapters they're affiliated with, and so on. In the future, we'd like to track things like the average tenure of members in the room."
On the other hand, to award credits for its CEU courses, a name had to be attached to the information. For that, PCMA chose a setup that required members to hold their badge in front of the reader and a printed receipt was generated on the spot.
Personalized Plans
In addition to providing aggregated data to planners, the badges can be used to simplify or enhance the attendee experience. At the American Heart Association convention, Smart Event technology "mined information from 10 separate databases to personalize a unique portal for each attendee's needs," says Rick Geritz, CEO of BDMetrics. Upon registration, each attendee was offered a Web-based personalized portal with recommendations for course offerings, exhibitors, and other people that they might want to meet based on each attendee's individual needs.
"It's a little like the system Amazon uses to make book recommendations," says Conferon's Lucke. As attendees review and choose their itineraries, the system can continue to fine-tune its recommendations based on the additional information. The system also allows attendees to make appointments, review their itineraries, see personalized maps of their plans, and more. "The system is becoming ever smarter about recognizing patterns of behavior," says Lucke.
At PCMA, attendees were greeted by a personalized welcome with their name on a screen as they entered the convention, they could view an electronic seating chart that showed their table for a luncheon, and they were allowed easier access to e-mail stations.
The Cost Factor
The badges can also be used on the trade show floor, though this usage has been limited so far. "There's valuable data for an exhibitor to capture and process, "but right now, RFID on the trade show floor is not really a departure from what we've all been doing for decades in cruder forms," Steven Hacker, CAE, president of the International Association for Exposition Management, which has used name badges embedded with RFID technology for the past two years at its annual convention,
That's one reason why David Weil, senior director of the convention and trade service unit of the association management company SmithBucklin Inc., based in Chicago, hasn't yet used the technology for any events. "I'm a big believer in implementing the right technology to solve the right problem," says Weil. "Right now we can do what we need to through bar-coding or scan technology. But if RFID can help us accomplish our goals better, we'll definitely consider it."
One current factor for many associations is the trade-off between the value of the information received and the cost of the badges. The badges are currently running between 50 cents and 3 dollars more than a standard badge, a cost that can be prohibitive for many associations. "If the price starts becoming similar to using a scanner, RFID badges will become much more viable," Weil says. He adds, however, that he would use RFID if it could fulfill a unique need, regardless of the cost of the technology.
On the Horizon: More Uses
When it comes to trade show use, Hacker sees potential far beyond what RFID is currently being used for. "One of the things that RFID can do extremely well is the supply-chain tracking that has moved Wal-Mart to abandon bar codes and require RFID as a form of inventory control," he says.
Hacker envisions a day when an exhibitor's freight will be tagged with RFID, allowing the exhibitor to track the shipment from pickup dock to delivery dock. Once delivered, show management will immediately know who it belongs to, where it's going, and where and how to stage it for proper delivery to the booth.
"That's a potentially enormous cost savings," he says, "and it also attacks issues of security since it prevents the possibility of theft and tampering once everything is sealed."
While the technology is still being refined — and privacy and price issues still need to be addressed — RFID technology is becoming increasingly viable for associations ever on the hunt for the best methods of attendee tracking, lead retrieval, enhancing security, tracking CEU and CME credits, and more.
"When you consider the complete robust use of RFID, which is still several years off," says Hacker, "the cost and benefit lines will cross so dramatically that it won't be an issue. We could have — and did have — the same conversations about computers, which are now an everyday part of our lives."
Invasion of Privacy?
The possibilities that RFID technology presents for data acquisition, lead retrieval, and inventory control are awesome. But the issues of privacy related to RFID on the whole are complex and, frankly, scary, conjuring images of an Orwellian society where the government knows everything about you and there's nowhere to hide. How do those privacy concerns relate to the meetings industry and its uses of RFID?
"The badges themselves do not contain any personal information," says Tony Melis, vice president of business development for Laser Registration, Washington, D.C., a leading provider of RFID-enabled name badges. "The only thing it has is the ID number, which can only be transmitted through the antennas and then decoded with the proper software."
It's highly unlikely that such information could be picked up by anyone other than those authorized to do so. But what if someone unauthorized is able to capture the information? "All they would be able to read is the ID number," says Melis. "It's comparable to a license plate — even if someone sees the number, they don't know that it belongs to Jane Doe."
"Initially we thought some people might be violently opposed to RFID because of privacy issues," says Debbie Draper, director of national hotel contracts and meeting management for the American Heart Association, which used the badges at its Scientific Sessions 2005 convention in Dallas. "But we included explanations in all our pre-convention information, saying that we were essentially tracking a number, which correlates to information attendees had provided during registration, and that there was no personal information in the badge itself. Some people did ask additional questions, and we were happy to address their concerns."
Draper says the association received no complaints and is planning to expand its use of RFID for this show and move it into other shows as well.
Steven Hacker, CAE, president of the International Association for Exposition Management, which has used name badges embedded with RFID technology for the past two years at its annual convention, had a similar experience with attendee reactions. "It was a big ho-hum in terms of negative response," he says. "The sum total of negative response from our members was zero, nada, nothing."


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Exceptional quality
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I have had this panel and it has been trouble free since May/2011. I have no problem recommending it to anyone. Once properly adjusted for calibration settings this set 'Sparkles', everyone who see's it in action exclaims "WOW !" and when it's in the off mode is is also a WoW effect in it's contemporary appearance especially with the Monolithic speaker base.


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1. The Dallas Cowboys can't evaluate either troubled players or receivers, so why are they being praised for drafting Dez Bryant? They proved adding security guards and mentors can't help with the Pacman Jones experiment, and made an awful trade for wide receiver Roy Williams. Jerry Jones may have regretted passing on Randy Moss, but his efforts to make up for that -- including Williams, Terrell Owens, Antonio Bryant -- have never worked. And don't say Dez Bryant must have been a good pick because the draft-savvy Ravens wanted him in the next spot. If there's one position Baltimore doesn't know, it's receiver.
2. Denver spent two first-round picks on guys who will have no real impact this year. No. 22 pick Demaryius Thomas is a physical freak, but coming from Georgia Tech, he has no real route-running experience. Tim Tebow could win the starting job at some point, but that would just be an admission Denver is building for the future. The Broncos have never completely fallen off the map. Since the NFL expanded to 16 games in 1978, they've had losing records in non-strike seasons just four times. Their worst record in that span was 5-11 back in 1990. Every franchise hits a cliff at some point. Josh McDaniels is teetering on it.
3. New Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell was taken too high by Joe Gibbs in 2005 and has lived off that reputation as a first-round quarterback. He has been the promising, big-armed guy who didn't have any stability on the coaching staff. Mike Shanahan knows quarterbacks and didn't think so. Campbell's an upgrade, but Oakland's offense is still going to struggle most weeks.
4. Quarterbacks, left tackles and defensive ends have owned the top of the first round over the last decade as rules have changed to help the passing game. What does it say about this year's draft class that defensive tackles went No. 2 and No. 3 and a safety went No. 5 overall? Only two defensive tackles have gone in the top three over the last 15 years (Darrell Russell No. 2 to Oakland in 1997 and Gerard Warren No. 3 to Cleveland in 2001); and only one safety has gone in the top five in that span (Sean Taylor to Washington at No. 5 in 2004). Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy and Eric Berry are very good players. But their draft spots speak to the lack of talent in positions teams usually covet that high in the draft.
5. Rookie quarterbacks' ability to win immediately is an overrated trend. Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez only won because their teams had strong running games and defenses. When they had to throw the ball a lot, they got in trouble. None of the rookie QBs in this year's class are in that kind of situation. Bradford, Clausen and Tebow are likely the only QBs who will start games and their teams have little chance of having winning seasons.
6. After Tebow and Clausen, the most heated draft debate was about Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, who some thought was being stereotyped because he's white and therefore destined to play fullback instead of tailback. But if Gerhart ends up playing fullback in Minnesota, it won't be because of race. The Vikings need a running back to take pressure off Adrian Peterson, but it has to be a player whose effective in the passing game, like Chester Taylor. What down is Gerhart supposed to play? Ever heard of a 230-pound third-down back?
7. The 49ers didn't have the splashiest draft, taking OT Anthony Davis and G Mike Iupati, but they took a big step toward reaching the playoffs. The NFC West was, by far, the weakest division last season and got even worse during the offseason. The Niners face a relatively easy schedule, drawing the AFC West, so they have a good shot at double-digit wins.
8. Some say the Eagles and Giants reached for defensive ends Brandon Graham and Jason Pierre-Paul in the first round. What choice do they have in their division? With Donovan McNabb in Washington, the NFC East could have four Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks next season. Philly's Kevin Kolb is unproven, but he has a lot of weapons around him. New York's Eli Manning and Dallas' Tony Romo should both have big seasons as well. Getting to the quarterback will be the only way for defenses to survive.
9. Most draft graders have their formula all wrong. Experts reward teams that got recognizable players from big programs who went lower than projected in all the mock drafts. Teams were lauded for picking up Notre Dame's Clausen, Texas' McCoy and Sergio Kindle, Alabama's Terrence Cody, USC's Everson Griffen, Tennessee's Dan Williams, Maryland's Bruce Campbell, etc. Aren't these players less likely to be steals because teams have had so many opportunities to scout them?
10. You're about to see a few early 2011 mock drafts, including mine. (I nailed Taylor Mays to the Niners, just in the wrong round). Just after the 2009 draft, multiple mocks had Mississippi's Jevan Snead at No. 1. Snead went undrafted (but landed in QB-deficient Tampa Bay, where he could stick). Washington quarterback Jake Locker will probably be listed at No. 1 overall several places this week. Locker's skill set might be more effective in college than the pros (think Tebow), and he'll get picked apart next season. Maybe Sam Bradford was lucky he didn't play last year.
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1. McNabb was the wrong quarterback for the Eagles for some time. McNabb throws a beautiful long ball, but wasn't the right quarterback to run an offense that tries to control the game with short passes. Kevin Kolb doesn't have McNabb's arm, but he'll put star young receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin in good position to make plays.
2. Kolb will throw for at least 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. Those numbers may sound gaudy, but 10 quarterbacks threw for that many yards last season and a lot of them didn't play in systems that pass nearly as much as the Eagles. Kolb threw for 391 yards and 327 yards in his two starts last season and he'll be able to string together several 300-yard games.
3. McNabb got discouraged when things started going wrong. Just look at the last two games against Dallas. His offensive line fell apart, but McNabb didn't appear to do anything to help the morale of his teammates. Kolb acts more like Tom Brady and will try to rally the troops. Not many people know much about Kolb, but he has the intensely competitive personality you need to succeed at quarterback.
4. The No. 37 pick in this year's draft is gold. As Andy Reid mentioned in Sunday night's press conference, he has a night between the first and second round to either trade that pick for a No. 1 next season or take a high value player. This spot is particularly juicy before they institute a first-round rookie salary cap.
5. The Eagles were moving farther away from the Super Bowl with McNabb. They were 11-5 last season, but they beat up on a particularly weak schedule. They were 0-4 during the regular season against playoff teams and didn't show up in the postseason.
6. Philadelphia has an insurance policy in Michael Vick. Do you think they didn't see this scenario unfolding when they signed Vick last summer? Although that's another public nightmare on the horizon, when Vick mentions he wants to be the starter, he is a talented security blanket.
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Press-box notes and observations from the Saints' 31-17 win over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV ...
1. It's surprising the most pass-happy Super Bowls of all time could be one of the more boring ones in recent history. Nothing inspires less imagination than a 4-yard pass and 4-yard run after the catch. Bring back the days of Lynn Swann catching long bombs. The 8-yard pass play is just too easy right now. That's one of the reasons why this Super Bowl would have been more fun with Brett Favre in it.
2. On the surface, Sean Payton's decisions to go for it on fourth down and try an onside kick seemed like two of the gutsiest calls in Super Bowl history. But not for the NFL's No. 1 offense. Payton knew Dwight Freeney was basically done and he'd be able to rack up points against the Colts. Payton's risks were very calculated. He always knew he could score points and didn't mind playing from behind.
3. Drew Brees ran a clinic in how to neutralize a pass rush with quick passes in the second half -- evidence that quarterbacks are mostly responsible for sacks. Every time you hear an offensive line can't protect a quarterback, that's probably not an accurate statement. Whether it's the David Carr-run Texans or the Steelers' offensive line in front of Ben Roethlisberger. "Brees makes everyone look better by getting rid of it quickly -- receivers, running backs, linemen," Reggie Bush said after the game. "You just know what you have to do and it's easier."
4. Bush showed he was a nice player this postseason, and had a nice game in the Super Bowl, but the Saints don't need him moving forward. Just like the Colts, they can fill in tons of parts as long as they have Brees. Bush, who is due a lot of money from New Orleans, might be better served in a more featured role in a place like Seattle or San Francisco. He'd have a better chance to be a real star elsewhere.
5. The Colts' Jim Caldwell clearly lost the emotional battle to Sean Payton. This was not a night for Caldwell's unflappable style. Would have been nice to see him kick a speaker or something in the postgame press conference. But he was as steady as always ... and not in a good way.
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Early thoughts on the Saints-Colts Super Bowl ...
1. From a football standpoint, the Saints and Colts is the best possible matchup for the Super Bowl. At one point, both teams were 13-0 and bona fide challengers to go 16-0; it's also the first matchup of the top conference seeds since 1993. Two great offenses, huge stars like Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, the Saints reaching their first Super Bowl. But the NFL playoffs are definitely less interesting without Rex Ryan and Brett Favre. Jets-Vikings would have been more exciting.
2. Both defenses give up a lot of yards. The Colts' defense ranked 18th in yards allowed, and the Saints ranked 26th. Indy doesn't care how many yards you rack up, as long as it surrenders field goals instead of touchdowns. And New Orleans makes up for all the yards by creating turnovers (the Saints ranked second in the NFL in takeaways). These two teams could rack up 1,000 yards in a dizzying Super Bowl. Get ready to hear a lot about the red zone and turnovers over the next two weeks.
3. Both teams' offensive lines are coming off impressive performances. The Saints allowed just one sack against the Vikings' fearsome defensive front. The Colts yielded two early sacks against the Jets and then figured out the blitz and kept Manning secure the rest of the afternoon. Even though both teams have effective pass rushers, it's hard to imagine either getting to the quarterback often in south Florida.
4. The Colts lost only five fumbles in the regular season (tied for first in the NFL). The Saints' strategy of swiping at the football on every tackle probably won't work, especially if Indy doesn't run the ball much. Even with Manning at quarterback, New Orleans has a better chance of getting its turnovers off interceptions. Manning threw 16 picks during the regular season.
5. The Saints had a much harder road to the Super Bowl. Indy had to beat two 9-7 teams (Baltimore and New York) to get here. New Orleans dominated the Cardinals, who were good enough to be a play away from winning last year's Super Bowl, and the talented Vikings. The Colts haven't faced a real offense in a while. Will they need time to reacclimate?
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1. With all the rules protecting quarterbacks, can you blame New Orleans' Bobby McRay for unloading on Arizona's Kurt Warner on an interception return? Defenders around the league have to be frustrated with how delicate they have to be around the quarterback. Shortly before the big hit, the officials took back a Saints interception on a questionable roughing penalty on Scott Shanle. Officials have to be more consistent on those calls (Packers fans surely agree after the no-call at the end of the Cardinals game), and should have to focus on intent instead of incidental contact.
2. Throw out the Saints' offensive performance against the Cardinals' JV unit. With Arizona's injuries and inability to rush the passer, tackle or cover anyone, that might as well have been an exhibition game in New Orleans on Saturday.
3. Don't pin the Cowboys loss on quarterback Tony Romo. The Cowboys quarterback made this offense and its mediocre set of receivers look a lot better than it was all season. Once Flozell Adams went out and Dallas fell behind, they were in too many must-pass situations and didn't have a chance against Minnesota's pass rush.
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